The catgirl nods. "Our suites all come with temperature control, lighting, a sitting room, plumbing, and a private bathroom. We have options ranging from one bedroom with one or two beds up to two bedrooms, at six, seven, and eight marks per night. There are of course options with more beds available if you're booking for a larger group than just the two of you. What would you like?"

"One bedroom with one bed should be fine. Sable?"

A very faint hint of a violet blush colors her pale cheeks, and she quirks an eyebrow in surprise, but nods. Lily's probably just figuring she can sleep-skip. No need to get excited. She reaches into her bag and pulls out five crowns, passing them to the receptionist.

The catgirl takes the coins with a nod, handing back eight marks, and starts making a few notes to mark down the booking. "And whose name should the room be under?"

"Lily Latea."

She nods and notes that down. "A key for each of you?"

"Yes, please."

The clerk nods, then picks up two small tokens with loops of cord attached. She sets then in a clear spot, taps a few sigils on something behind the counter, then sets one token on a circular pad. There's a brief flash of light, and she sets that one aside, taps another couple sigils, and repeats with the second token. She gives them both to Lily.

"This one," she says, pointing at the first, "is the master key. It identifies you as the renter of the room. The other is a spare key. Spare keys can be deactivated if you present the master here at the front desk. To use it, tap either key to the metal circle above the doorknob. You'll hear the lock click open and see a small green flash."

She leans back and nods. "Welcome to the Glass Poppy. You have room 39. Enjoy your stay."

"Thank you very much."

Lily takes the master key and gives the spare to Sable. 

"Let's go have a look at our new room." 

She gestures to Sable to take the lead. 

Sable accepts the key with a nod and leads the way up the stairs, keeping an eye on the signs, and stepping out on the third floor. A little ways down the hall, the girls reach a heavy wooden door numbered 39, with a brass doorknob, and a flat circle of bronze above that. Sable touches her key to the disc, and after a moment there's a faint click, and a small flash of green light from the disk.

Sable nods and pushes the door open.

Inside is a small sitting room, with a small couch and two armchairs around a table. There are two open doors at the back of the room, one leading to what looks like a small bathroom, and the other looks to be the bedroom.

Lily closes the door again, and checks that her key also works.

Then they can go inside. She goes into the bedroom and flops down on the bed. 

Sable follows Lily in and closes the door behind her, looks the bathroom over briefly — small bathtub, toilet, sink, not bad — and then continues into the bedroom. She notes the small desk and chair, the closet, and the glowing lights, then sets her bag on the desk, pulls the chair up beside the bed, and sits down.

"Well, we made it. Spasiba, as promised. Would you like to rest for a bit, take a look around the city, find dinner, or anything else?"

Lily slips a hand into a pocket of her cloak and retrieves a small vial filled with black liquid. 

"I... was thinking of sleeping, actually. I've never done that before. My body doesn't do it naturally."

She holds the vial up to the light. "Amira gave me this while I was still a prisoner. An escape of a kind, I guess. I never used it. But... I can't help but feel curious."

"I can understand why you'd want to avoid risking it while still trapped, yeah. I'm a bit surprised that you're willing to try it here, and a bit touched."

She hums thoughtfully. "I'll probably be awake for another hour or three, taking a look around town, checking the procedure for renting a market stall in the open air market, reaching out to old contacts to see if I can find someone to help with private sales, and of course tracking down dinner. I can sleep on the couch when I get back, and feel free to wake me if you need me."

Lily tilts her head slightly. "What's wrong with the bed?"

She blushes a bit, then smiles lopsidedly and replies, "Absolutely nothing, except that I didn't want to make any assumptions about whether you'd want to share a bed."

Lily seems even more confused by this. "Why would I mind?"

"Perhaps this is a cultural difference from home," she says with a thoughtful hum. "Where I come from, adults sleeping in the same bed together is seen as intimate, a sign of trust usually reserved for romantic or sexual relationships."

"Might be different here, or I might just never have picked it up."

Grinning and still blushing, she shrugs. "Honestly, norms don't matter except for interacting with people who care about them. You don't mean it as a relationship thing, my mind is as flexible as my shape and I know how you mean it, and so we can just do what we want."

"Yeah, that makes sense." 

Lily looks down at the vial in her hand. "... Is there anything else you'd like to say to me before I sleep?"

"Just that I hope you have a pleasant sleep. Talk to you in the morning!"

And with that, she stands, takes the chair back to the desk, grabs her bag, and heads out into town.

Lily carefully drops a single drop of the vial's contents onto her finger, then squares her shoulders and pops it into her mouth.

In moments, she feels absolutely exhausted. She lies back onto the pillow, and closes her eyes.

Sable walks through the streets, enjoying the evening atmosphere. She passes a few more inns, some schools, and through a plaza, before reaching a bustling open-air market. There are small stalls, with and without awnings, filling an enormous open space. Vendors call out to passerby, offering jewelry and trinkets and charms and materials.